Assistive Technology for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

According to the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NDCCD) there are approximately 5,000 babies are born with Down Syndrome. This disability is caused by a genetic glitch in the chromosome count. There is an unknown cause to how children with down syndrome develop an extra chromosome, 47 instead of 46. Research has shown that mothers above the age of 35 are more likely to affect their child with this type of disability. Despite the lag in intellectual abilities, children with down syndrome are very much alike to typically developing children. They have similar emotions, moods, and are very enthusiastic about learning new things. However, there is a mismatch of age and intellectual ability for children with this disability. Learning is affected by this disability, as there can be a mismatch of a child's age to their IQ. For example, a student may be 8 years old, but functions at a pre-school level when it comes to cognitive, language, physical, or social-emotional skills. Students with down syndrome require a great amount of one-on-one attention from Special Education professionals. In addition to intellectual disability, most, if not all children with down syndrome have some sort of medical condition that they have to battle through. This affects their time in school, and impacts the progress of their learning.

Children with cognitive delays are very responsive to visual prompts in the classroom. A great assistive technology that these students can benefit from are "Memory Aids." Memory aids may come in a form of a keychain, picture schedules, visuals on velcro strips, and even computer applications. In general, children depend heavily on routines in the classroom or at home. Children with disabilities rely more than any child on these routines to be able function in a learning environment. Therefore, it is important to visually prompt children with down syndrome with picture schedules ranging from 2-6 a day. Ipads, smart boards, and computers are a great medium to assist children with their visual schedules. Here's an example of a memory aid that can be found in early childhood classrooms today.

An example of a Visual Memory Aid

Another assistive technology tool that children with down syndrome can use is an adaptive keyboard also known as "Intellikeys." One of the most common characteristics that these children have in common in their delays in physical development. Gross motor and fine motor development can be challenging for these students. With the help of the "Intellikeys," children are able to practice language and literacy skills without having to spend too much effort in using a pen and a paper. These adaptive keyboards for students can be used to assess their knowledge on letters and words. This tool can also help students strengthen their fine motor ability, and their hand-eye coordination skills. The benefits of assistive technology in a classroom allows all learners to maximize their full learning potential. 

The use of Adaptive Keyboards for learning

The direction to which education is improving for children with disabilities has been tremendous. I believe that teachers are able to collaborate with other professionals to find more helpful ways in helping them learn. I believe that with technology advancing rapidly that there will be more high-tech programs that will benefit the learning of children with cognitive delays. I also believe that with the help of preventive research and medical findings, we can find a solution as to how to avoid this type of disability. I believe that there is more great findings that can help students with all disabilities learn better. 

References:

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

The Early Childhood Initiative Foundation

National Down Syndrome Society

Accessible Technology Coalition

Family Guide to Assistive Technology